The Boy on the Other Side of the Fence
by alexthelion-ess
Summary: Skye is 5 when she first meets the boy on the other side of the fence, Grant Ward. Their initial conversation spurs a lifelong friendship. Sequel to Over the Fence. Can be read independently.
1. Age 5

Skye is 5 when she first meets Grant Ward.

She is sitting on the grass, back against the fence. Tears rolls down her face as she recalls the circumstances which brought her here.

 _The Millers had fostered her for 3 weeks before they decided she was too much trouble. She had tried her best to be good, following their every instruction, keeping her room as neat as it could be. But as always, something happened. the first week she was there, Skye was reaching up on the counter for her glass of juice._

 _She was too short to see over the counter, but if she stood on her tiptoes she could reach to the top of the counter. She fumbled around for a few seconds before she felt the cool touch of glass. She stretched a little farther and wrapped her fingers around the rim of the glass and pulled. The glass was heavier than she anticipated and she pulled a little harder. The glass moved an inch, she pulled harder. All of a sudden, the glass moved, fast. Skye was startled and was too slow to catch the falling glass. The cup flew over the edge of the counter and made contact with the floor. With a crash, it broke into a million pieces._

 _Skye stared in shock at the shattered glass. She heard the running of feet down the stairs and Mrs. Millers gasp of shock. They ran toward her, Mr Miller scooping his arms around the little girl, while Mrs. Miller searched for the broom._

 _"Mary! What did you do?" Skye looked at Mr. Miller hesitantly,_

 _"I wanted some juice. I didn't want to wake you." Mrs. Miller grumbled from her position from the floor,_

 _"How many times have I told you, you have to ask to get things."_

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _The next week when she stretches out on the couch after a nap, she accidentally pushes a vase off the_ _coffee table. This time Mr. Miller just gives her a disapproving look. Skye wishes he would hold her like he did the first time. Instead he sends her to her room. Mrs. Miller brings her dinner later on, telling her she has to be more careful. Skye promises she will, they're a very nice family and she wants to stay with them._

 _The straw that breaks the camels back happens on a Saturday. Skye is sitting in the den, watching the shows the Millers had set up for her on the computer. She goes to reach for her cup of juice when she accidentally knocks it over. She watches in horror as the liquid moves over the desk and flows over the edge, on top of the computer hard drive. The box starts to smoke and the video cuts out on the screen. Skye hesitates for a second before running to the kitchen and grabbing the spool of paper towels._

 _When she makes it back to the den, she's surprised to see Mr. Miller already there, looking at the smoking hard drive. He looks up when she walks in and Skye recognizes the look of anger in his features._

 _She's back in the orphanage the next day._

Skye sniffles at the memory, seeing the Millers drive out of the driveway, and the nuns walking her back in. A voice breaks her thoughts,

"Hello?"

Skye freezes. She doesn't recognize the voice. She stands up and moves closer to the fence,

"H-hello? Is anyone there?"

She hears a movement and the voice again, closer this time,

"Are you okay? I heard you sniffling." The movement stops, "Were you crying?"

Skye doesn't answer. She's embarrassed that someone heard her crying. The voice comes again,

"I'm Grant. What's your name?" She considers which name to tell him, the ones the nuns gave her, or the one she gave herself. She finally decides,

"Skye."

They continue talking for a few minutes more. Without realizing it, Skye begins to relax, focusing on the voice through the fence. She tells him about the Millers, and how they returned her. She frowns when she hears Sister Agatha calling to her from inside. She calls back and stands up, wiping the grass off her shorts. She pauses for a moment,

"I have to go. It was good meeting you Grant." She barely hears Grant respond before she's heading back inside.

A month passes and Skye promptly forgets the voice through the fence. She's playing kickball with the older boys when she kicks it too hard and it sails over the fence. Liam is the first to turn nasty,

"Good going Mary! Look what you did! This is why you can't play with us! Now we have to get Sister Nancy to go over and ask for the ball." Skye tries to apologize, but nothing seems to pacify the boy. He pushes her to the ground and strides away, his friends following along. She can feel tears prick at her eyes. She crosses her legs in defeat.

A noise behind her catches her attention. She turns and gasps, the ball had been thrown back over the fence.

"Grant?"

"Hey Skye!" he responds brightly

"Did you hear all that?" For some reason, Grant always seems to appear in her most embarrassing moments.

"Yea. Why is he so mean?" _Theres so many reasons_ Skye thinks, but theres one reason that stick out the most,

"He's just mad that the Miller's had chosen me over him in the first place." She hears Grant snort in laughter. She immediately becomes defensive,

"Why are you laughing?"

"They picked you, brought you back and still didn't pick him. I think that's pretty funny." Skye considers it for a moment, even with all her misfortune, she was still better off then the bully Liam. She starts to giggle. Then she starts to chuckle, and soon she and Grant are both laughing themselves silly. She stands for a moment, reveling in her happiness. It seemed too short when the nuns called for the end of playtime. The sadness returns to her chest,

"I guess it's time to go."

"I'll talk to tomorrow then!"

"Tomorrow?

"Yea! Playtime tomorrow! This part of the fence. I'll be waiting." Skye wasn't sure. She was only 5, yet she knew people didn't always keep their promises,

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She turns back to the house, still not convinced Grant would be there in the morning.

The next morning she approaches the fence warily.

"Grant?"

"Hey Skye! So I was thinking, instead of talking through the fence, we could maybe talk face to face!" Skye scoffs in disbelief. The fence was like 10 feet tall! How was she supposed to see him?

"That's impossible. The holes in the fence are too small to see through and I'm not tall enough to see over the fence!" The response was immediate,

"Is there a chair that you can maybe stand on, one that maybe the nuns wouldn't mind you getting dirty?" Skye has to think for a moment. The nuns were usually pretty strict about having feet on the chairs. She thinks back to an incident where one of the kids had spilled a glass of cranberry juice on one of the dinner chairs. She didn't think they had thrown it away.

"Mayyybe, hold on, let me go check." She runs off to the side of the house, just under the eves, and spots the chair, the red stain still bright on the cushion. She struggles with the chair and drags it back over to the fence. "Found one! Now what?"

"Stand on it and see if you can look over." Skye climbs on the chair. To her disappointment, the top of the fence was still quite a ways away.

"I still can't see!"

"How far are you from the top?"

"Still kinda far."

"Okay. Do you know if the nuns keep around any old crates or boxes that they wont miss?" Skye climbs down from the chair and thinks carefully for a moment. She remembers seeing a pile of thick books in one of the storage closets, something called a 'phone book.' She runs off again. The storage closet proves to be more than useful. She finds several thick books as well as a taller chair, which she mentions to Grant as she remakes her tower. She finally climbs on and finds himself face to face with a little boy.

He has short black hair, and creamy brown eyes. She's taken aback by the excitement in his eyes. She flashes a smile at him, which he quickly returns accompanied by his outstretched hand.

"Hello, I'm Grant! Nice to finally meet you." She returns the gesture and reintroduces herself. She takes a second to look at his yard. It was manicured and basically empty, a stark contrast to the filled yard behind her.

"So this is what the other side looks like," Grant comments. She shrugs,

"Yea. It's not much. At least the older kids are in school."

The noise behind Skye seems to fade away as Grant talks. He tells her about his brothers, Cristian and Thomas, and begins to tell her how he once punched a teacher. Their conversation was interrupted by Sister Agatha,

"MARY SUE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Skye turns at the mention of her given name. She watches the plump nun rush to her. She's suddenly lifted up off her tower, and placed firmly on the ground, "Mary! What are you doing! You could've fallen and hurt yourself! Who would want to adopt a broken child!" A pang of sadness enters Skye's chest, and she casts her eyes down in shame.

"I was talking to my friend Grant." she whispers. Sister Agatha then turns her attention to Grant and gives him a warning. Skye sees his head disappear from the top of the fence, and Sister Agatha kneels, leveling her face with Skye's,

"Mary, you cannot continue to misbehave. Parents want proper children like your friend Grant, not rule breakers like you. Let's get you inside and cleaned up." Sister Agatha grabs the girls hand and leads her back into the house, calling for the end of playtime. Skye can hear the grumbles of children, upset that their time was cut short. When they enter back into the orphanage, the sisters rush her into the bath. She can hear them whisper about the boy in the backyard. The guilt of getting Grant in trouble settles in her chest.

The next day she finds him waiting at their spot. She begins to apologize profusely for getting him in trouble, but he will hear none of it.

"It's okay Skye! I can deal with a big scary nun." Skye still feels guilty, but doesn't say so. Grant pipes up again, "Yesterday I saw a little spot behind one of the trees. Do you think that the chair could maybe fit behind there?"

"I can try it. But Grant, do you really want to risk getting in trouble again?" Skye asks,

"I've got nothing better to do!" Grant replies enthusiastically. Skye investigated the area briefly, and found that if positioned correctly, she could actually slip the chair between the trees. They take a moment to move their operations, and when Grant's head popped up on his side of the fence again, Skye couldn't hold in her grin. They exchange pleasantries once more before Skye asks the one question thats been burning in her mind,

"So about that teacher you punched...tell me more!"

When Skye settled into bed later that night, she can't help but smile, as she thinks about the boy next door, she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

This is a sequel to my story Over the Fence. You should be able to read this independently. For those of you who have read the story, you'll notice a lot of overlap, but as the story progresses, there will be more to Skye's story than just Grant and a lot more original material and stories.

Please Rate and Review. Let me know what you think should happen.

-Alex


	2. Age 7

Skye is 7 when she first is excited to go back to the orphanage, and stay.

The Johnson's house was by far her favorite. They were nothing but nice, and even when she messed up, they didn't yell. The dad, Cal, had approached her about going to school in August. She had even gotten them to call her Skye, instead of Mary Sue. It was starting to feel like home.

Once when he was tucking in Skye, she had asked Cal why they had decided to foster older kids, instead of adopting a baby. Cal sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Skye shifted, sitting up on the bed.

"For many years, we tried very hard to have a baby. The doctors told us that it was nearly impossible, we were very upset. Jaiying was especially upset, for a while she couldn't even look at children without getting emotional. We had a friend who had fostered before and when he told us about all the kids like you in need of some love, we just couldn't say no. Now you're here and we're as happy as can be." He flashed a smile and reached out his hand, and Skye could feel warmth bubble in her chest when his warm hand enveloped hers.

2 weeks later she walks into the bathroom and finds Cal and Jaiying embracing. She spots something on the sink counter and her heart drops. She knows a pregnancy test when she sees one, and she can't ignore the bright pink plus, no doubt the reason for the embrace. Cal looks up and see's Skye in the doorway. He opens his mouth to speak but she runs out of sight before any words can come out.

They find her in her room already what little things she brought with her. They try to explain but Skye understands. They can't deal with having a foster when they're about to have a kid of their own.

On the drive back to the orphanage, Jaiying keeps looking back at Skye in the carseat. Skye can sense the sympathy emanating off her would-be parents, but she doesn't seem to care. She continues to stare out the window, waiting for the grey fence of the orphanage to come into view.

When they finally pull into the driveway, Skye doesn't even wait for the Johnson's to walk her in. She runs into the building, dropping her bag off on her bed and runs to the backyard where the kids are still having recess. She stops just short of the fence, catching her breath before speaking,

"Grant!" She waits for a moment before calling again, "Grant!" She waits for another few moments, when she's finally rewarded with a voice on the other side of the fence,

"Skye? You're back?"

"Meet me by the chairs!"

It wasn't long before Skye and Grant stood face to face, peering over the fence. Skye was confused by the concerned look on Grant's face.

"What?"

"What happened? You were gone for so long! I thought maybe the Johnson's were it." Skye tries to keep her disappointment with the Johnson's from showing in her smile,

"They had a baby on the way, and they didn't have space for me." Skye ignores the sad look on the boy's face and instead searches his backyard eagerly. She hasn't seen Thomas in forever and wants to say Hi. Grant seems to sense Skye's desire to change the topic.

"Thomas is inside napping." He explains, Skye shrugs and remains silent, Grant picks up the conversation again, "I heard my mom and Sister Agatha talking the other day. They were thinking about putting a door in the gate, so that you can come over and play, instead of talking over the fence." The goofy grin had returned to the boys face, and Skye can't help but smile back,

"That's great! You mean I wouldn't have to stand on my toes every time we talk?"

"Thats right!" Skye giggles at that. She has spent months studying the Ward backyard, but never had she been on the other side of the fence. The prospect was thrilling.

"Does that mean we can play kickball, and soccer?"

"And tag and hide and seek," Grant adds. Skye was practically vibrating with excitement, she could actually play with her friend! They stand talking of the things they can do once the fence is put in place, and when Sister Agatha finally calls for time to end, Skye doesn't even feel sad about the Johnsons anymore.

When the construction men come 2 weeks later to install the gate, Sister Agatha has to keep Skye inside to prevent her from getting in the way. She stands at the window in awe, as the men take out a section of the fence. She hopes to catch a glimpse of Grant when they finally remove the fence, but Sister Agatha reminds her that Mrs. Ward is probably keeping him inside too, for his safety.

It takes the workers 2 days to complete their job. During that time, the children are told to play in the front, with one of the sisters keeping a close eye, making sure no one went chasing after any balls by the street. Skye sits on the porch, absent-mindedly playing with one of the dolls from the playroom. She listens to the workers in the backyard silently encouraging them to go faster.

When they finally leave the next day, the first thing Skye does is march up to the gate. She's still too small to reach the lock and has to go find Sister Agatha to open it. When the gate was finally opened, Skye couldn't keep the smile off her face. Grant stood on the other side next to his mother, ball in hand, with Thomas peeking out from behind him. The adults spoke for a moment, then Sister Agatha bent down, so she stood at eye level with the little girl,

"Mary, you understand that this is a privilege. You're very lucky that Mrs. Ward agreed to this gate. You need to show them the upmost respect at all times, otherwise we will lock the gate for good." Skye glanced over at Mrs. Ward, who was talking to Grant, presumably giving him the same lecture. The few times she had spoken to the older woman, she had gotten the feeling that Mrs. Ward didn't really know what to do with orphan girl, but it was no excuse not to be polite to the woman. She looked back at the sister and nodded her head. They waited patiently for Mrs. Ward and Grant to finish, and once they finished the children dashed off, trying to make the most use of their time.

Even between school and homework, the two always managed to find time for each other. Everyday, without fail, when one of the Sister's opened the gate, Grant stood on the other side, smiling.

* * *

Hey guys, I know it's been a terribly long time. I've been so very very busy with school and college apps, and SATs and homework, and family, and sports. I know its another short one, but I'm going to try to see if I can write another chapter tonight. (If not I'll try to update ASAP) As I said before, there's going to be some overlap, but there will also be a focus on Skye's life without Grant being the sole focus.

As always, let me know what you think, what I should do, what I should change. Suggestions are always helpful and comments are my best friend.

Till next time

-Alex


	3. Age 9

Skye is 9 when she meets Phil and Melinda Coulson

When Skye walks into the orphanage after playtime, she's immediately met at the door by Sister Agatha. She has a pleasant smile on her face that fills the girl with unease.

"Mary Sue, there are some people that I would like you to meet." She extends her hand and the girl takes is cautiously. They make their way to the office where the nuns conduct their business meetings. They stop short outside the door and Sister Agatha kneels to get to the girls level. Skye looks at her with interest as she allows the nun to adjust her collar and brush out the loose hairs from her face.

"Remember, a smile goes a long way to getting good little girls like you adopted." Skye forces a smile on her face, and the nun nods in approval. She stands and opens the door. Inside the office sits a couple, a white balding man with what seemed a perpetual smile on his face, and a slim asian woman, her face practically unreadable. They had appeared to be in deep conversation with Sister Margareta when they notice the little girl in the doorway. The man gives her a big grin, while the woman raises an eyebrow. Sister Agatha guides Skye into the room.

Skye feels uncomfortable with the all the eyes in the room focused on her. She shuffles towards the nearest chair and takes a seat. Sister Margareta speaks and breaks the silence,

"Mr. and Mrs. Coulson, this is Mary Sue. As you can see, she's a bit older than some of the children here, but that in no way means that she is not suitable for fostering, or adoption." She then turns her attention to the girl in the chair, "Mary, this is Phil and Melinda, they're first-time foster parents."

Skye nods a hello to them, which they both return. The smile still remains on the man, Phil's, face. He turns to Sister Margareta and Sister Agatha,

"Do you mind if we have a few moments alone with Mary? I feel we would have a better chance at an honest conversation if its just the three of us." The sisters share a look but agree. As soon as the door shuts behind them, Skye speaks,

"It's Skye."

"I'm sorry what?" Skye talks a little louder,

"My name is not Mary Sue, it's Skye. S-K-Y-E." Phil leans forward, concerned,

"Is that what you want to be called? Skye?" Skye looks down and nods. She's not entirely certain why she told them to call her Skye, but the silent asian women has got her on edge.

"So Skye, what can you tell me about being a foster child?" It's a heavy question. She's had it better than some. She's heard some horror stories about abusive parents, or bad older siblings. Except for the Johnson's, she's been the primary reason for her misfortunes.

"It's like summer camp. Every few months you go to a new place, learn all the new rules and make all new friends, then before you know it, you're back here, with the same old dingy bed, with the same old whiny kids, and the same old boring house." She can see the corner of Melinda's mouth twitch. "I've had some of the better experiences, but i know there are some kids who come from really crappy homes. If you're looking for someone to save, I would say you should look for some of those kids." Phil seems taken aback by Skye's suggestion. Melinda's mouth has finally settled into a frown,

"What makes you say we want to save someone?" Skye shrugs,

"It's like that with all the new fosters. They think they can save us, but they don't realize that some of us are damaged goods. They can't deal with it, so they send us back." It's Phil's turn to frown,

"What do you suggest we do then, Skye?" Skye is grateful that he's accepted her chosen name. She finds herself drawn to the couple, even with the brooding woman, which makes what she says next so much harder,

"Start of young. Maybe a couple of years old. Just to get used to it. Maybe have someone grow up with a loving home for once. Then once you're ready, come back for the older ones." Silence fills the room for a moment or so. Phil lets out a sigh and leans back in his chair.

"Thank you Skye, for your candor. We'll take it into consideration." Skye nods and jumps off the chair. She gives them one last look before opening the door and stepping out. The nuns are huddled to the side of the door whispering. She doesn't bother to listen in. Last time she tried that she had overheard them call her a hopeless case. She doesn't need to hear it again. They stop as soon as they see her and look up. She gives them a forced smile and walks back toward the dorms.

* * *

The Coulson's are back a week later. The nuns keep her from school so they may interview her more thoroughly. Skye finds herself giddy with excitement. The woman, Melinda seemed a lot more warm than the last time they saw each other. She had a pleasant smile on her face and she even asked a few questions about things Skye liked. That afternoon, during play time, she pops her head through the gate and catches Grant's eye from the sliding glass door. He waves her in and she bounds over. It was his first day at public school and she wanted to hear all about it. She sits down by his homework while he goes to fetch her a snack. She glances over his homework and sticks her tongue out. Gross. Fractions.

"So guess what happened at school today!" Skye looks up,

"What?" Grant tosses her a bag of fruit snacks and returns to his seat,

"I made friends with some 8th graders!" Skye notices that Grant puffs up his chest a bit, she giggles inwardly at the boys attempt to impress her.

"Whoa! Already?" Grant nods, "How?"

"I got lost in the halls and a nice girl told me where to go. Her friends invited me to lunch. They were all really cool Skye! Bobbi does a lot of martial arts, and Lance is British but he can do a perfect american accent. Bobbi says it makes him sound stupid but I think its really cool! They have a friend named Idaho, but I don't think that's his real name, and then there's Izzy-" Skye sits at attention, listening to all Grant has to say. Grant finally finishes with a sigh and turns his attention back to her,

"So how was your first day?" Skye shrugs,

"I didn't go."

"What? Why?"

"There was a family visiting today. The nuns thought I would be perfect."

"And...? What did the family think?" Skye tries to keep the excitement from her voice. She knows that Grant sometimes wants her to get adopted more than herself sometimes.

"They were considering it. They said they would come back tomorrow, to ask some more questions, spend more time."

"Well that's good! Hey maybe if they like what they see tomorrow, they could be your forever home!" Skye shrugs again, as nice as the Coulsons are, she still thinks they're better off with a younger child to foster first. Her eyes wander over to the clock over the stove. It's almost the end of playtime.

"It's getting late, I have to head back! I'm glad you had a great day. I can't wait to hear how tomorrow goes!" She allows the enthusiasm to return to her voice. She doesn't want Grant to think that she's totally against being adopted, and she is rewarded with a smile from the boy.

Like a true gentleman, he walks her back to the gate and wishes her luck before she slips through back to the other side. She spots Sister Agatha waiting for her on the steps and gives her an apologetic smile as she passes her on the way to the door.

* * *

As promised, the Coulsons return the next day. Skye can tell immediately that they're not there for her. She waits anxiously for half an hour before one of the nuns comes to look for her. She has an apologetic look on her face that makes Skye want to kick her. They enter into the office and Skye finds herself alone with the couple once again. They both have sympathetic looks on their faces that make Skye want to curl up in a ball. She doesn't even sit.

"You're not fostering me." Phil seems to flinch at the statement, but makes no attempt to dispute it. Instead he takes a step closer and kneels down,

"Melinda and I thought a lot about this, and about what you said. We don't really know what were doing, and we want to provide a better life for kids; kids like you. We can't do that by just going in dark." Skye refuses to look up at the man. She can hear shuffling and suddenly there are soft hands guiding her chin up. She finds herself face to face with Melinda.

"Skye, we need you to understand, this is just temporary, until we get our bearings about us, with some practice and experience, we can make sure we provide the best experience for you. This isn't a goodbye. This is a see you later of sorts." A single tear rolls down the girls cheek, and Melinda is quick to brush it away, "It won't be too long Skye. I promise. You'll be in a good home soon enough." Melinda tentatively holds out her arms for hug, and Skye is quick to accept the embrace.

Skye walks them out of the building, they've decided to foster a 2 year old, Will Daniels. His parents had died in a car accident, and he had just arrived a week ago. Skye tries not to hate the boy. Through no fault of his own, he managed to find a family after only a week. Still, she feels a creeping sense of envy when she watches the Coulsons drive off.

* * *

The following day continues as nothing has happened, Skye goes to school and visits Grant as soon as she gets home. She can see the question lingering in his expression but she ignores it, instead she asks him about his day with Bobbi and Lance. She is surprised to learn that Bobbi is actually a girl, Barbara. Grant laughs at her misconception and she throws her snack pack at him. It all seemed to have returned to normal, at least for the meantime.

* * *

 _Hey guys. I'm sorry for the prolonged period of no update. I've been swamped with so much to do. My semester finally ended so I have my first 3 days weekend of the month right now. I must add a disclaimer, I have never had any experience with the foster system, so if any of you do, and you find any inconsistencies, please let me know so I may correct them._

 _As always make sure to comment and review and let me know what you think. It means a lot to me when you guys comment with praise or suggestions. Especially now, It would be really great if you guys left reviews. I'm going to try to update ASAP, but there are no real promises._

 _I hope you enjoyed the chapter._

 _-Alex_


	4. Age 13

Skye is 13 when she gets adopted.

The whole ordeal takes a little longer than she wants, but it gets done. Almost a month after their initial visit, the Hansons finally sign the papers. Skye watches with excitement as they sign the last paper with a flourish of the blue pen. Skye resists the urge to go and hug her new parents. Instead, she opts to flash them a big smile and thumbs up. The adults talk for a bit more, arranging for Skye's pick up the next day, and exchanging of contact numbers. The woman, Jenny approaches Skye with a smile on her face,

"Looks like we're all set Skye!" Skye makes a mental note to thank Jenny for using her chosen name, rather than her given one, "We just have to wait a day for the paperwork to get through and then we can take you home!"

 _Home._ Skye had all but given up on the idea of home, and now these nice people were going to give her one. Emotion surges through her veins and before she knows what she's doing, Skye rushes to embrace the woman. Mrs. Hanson stiffens at first, but eventually relaxes and returns the hug. Skye can hear the conversation in the room stop as all the adults focus their attention on the two. Mrs. Hanson is the first one to let go, Skye thinks she can see something like apprehension in her eyes, but it's gone before she can truly study it.

"We'll be back tomorrow, around 2 to pick you up." Skye nods at Mr. Hanson's words, her mind already cycling through all the things she has to do before she leaves. The nuns go to walk out the Hansons and Skye goes back to her room to pack. She thinks of her to-do list: _Pack, Call Phil and tell him the good news, rub it in Liam's face, and say goodbye to Grant._

Grant. Skye feels a pang of sadness as she thinks of the boy on the other side of the fence. Her companion and only real friend during her time at the orphanage. She hadn't seen much of him since he had started high school and dating that girl, Rainy, or was it Raina? She didn't really know, or care. All she knew was that it had been quite a while since she had had a good conversation with her friend.

Initially it hadn't bothered her, Grant blowing her off for Raina. She understood, it was a new phenomenon, and after all, Raina was his girlfriend, not Skye. But then they went a solid 2 months without seeing each other. Every time Skye would knock on the back door, Mrs. Ward would come out with a sympathetic look and tell Skye that Grant was out, either at rehearsals or with Raina. The initial happiness she felt toward Grant getting a girlfriend fizzled out and was quickly replaced by anger and what could only be described as jealousy. This Raina girl had taken her best friend away, and left her alone with the kids in the orphanage.

Skye shakes the thoughts of Grant out of her head and instead focuses on packing her meager possessions. Along with the donated clothing the nuns gave out, she made sure to include the jacket the Wards had bought her a couple years ago for her birthday, along with the laptop she had won in a contest and the picture frame containing a candid photo of her and Grant laying in his backyard that his mother had taken. When that was all done, she walked down the hall to the use the house phone.

Although it was the 21st century, the nuns insisted that the children use the landline when they wanted to make calls. The house phone was located by the kitchen in full view of the office. The nuns insisted it was because of the location of the outlet that it was placed there but Skye and the older kids suspected it was so the nuns could see and hear who was using the phone. Skye picks up the phone and once she hears the dial tone, she punches in the familiar number. The phone rings twice before someone picks up,

"Hello?" Skye's enthusiasm returns,

"Hey Phil!" Despite the fact the Coulson's didn't foster her, she still felt a close connection with them, especially Phil, and as consequence she often called him to catch up and talk.

"Hey Skye! How's it going?"

"Actually its going great!"

"How so?"

"I got adopted!" There's a pause on the other side of the phone. "Phil?"

"Skye? Yea, I'm here, sorry I was trying to find Melinda. You got adopted? That's amazing! Whose the lucky couple?"

"Harry and Jenny Hanson. They're a really sweet couple from the next town over. They signed the papers today!" There is commotion in the back and Phil's voice is replaced by Melinda's.

"Skye! Phil just told me you're getting adopted. Is it true?" Skye nods before remembering that Melinda can't see her,

"Yea! I was just telling Phil, they're a couple from the next town over. They're super sweet and cool and can't wait to take me home." Melinda chuckles,

"That's great Skye! You got your family after all." They chat for a little while longer when Melinda suddenly speaks, "Listen, I have to go pick up Will from daycare, but I'll put you back on with Phil. Congratulations!" The phone switches hands and phil is suddenly back on the phone,

"Hey listen Skye, I don't know if your adoptive parents will be okay with this, but Melinda and I would still like to catch up and keep an eye on you."

"That would be awesome, I would have to ask them but I think that'd be okay." She hears the smile in Phil's voice,

"Great. Well, I would imagine you need to get to packing, so I'll leave you to it. Congratulations again!" They exchange pleasantries before Skye hangs up the phone. The euphoria from earlier has returned, and she allows the feeling of weightlessness to carry her as she walks to the backyard and to the gate connecting to the Ward's backyard. She taps lightly on the glass door and waits patiently for someone to open. As usual she's met with Mrs. Ward,

"Is Grant home? I need to speak to him, it's really important." Mrs. Ward's sad eyes look down on her,

"I'm sorry Skye, he has rehearsal today and I think he's going out after that. Do you want me to give him a message?" Skye shakes her head, she has to tell him face to face,

"It's fine Mrs. Ward, I guess I'll catch him later. But there is something I need to tell you."

Mrs. Ward gasps when Skye tells her the news and immediately envelopes her in a hug, she then calls for Thomas and Christian to come out. When Skye tells them, Christian sticks out his hand and wishes her the best, Thomas looks like he wants to cry. Skye insists that she be the one to tell Grant, and none object. The sadness returns, as she says goodbye to her pseudo-family. The returns to the orphanage in a somber state. .,

That night, following lights out, she slips out of the bed and dons her darkest clothing. She tiptoes past the nun's quarters and slips through the creaky door to the outside. Once past the gate, she looks for any sign that Grant is home, but all the lights are dark. She finds his window and peeps inside. His bed is still made and his backpack is missing. Determined, she sits patiently on the floor against the fence, waiting for Grant to get home.

It seems ages before a light turns on in the kitchen. Skye immediately stands and moves closer to the door. Grant looks up and creases his brow in confusion, Skye steps into the light and he looks almost relieved. He makes his way to the door and opens it without hesitation. Skye slips in and goes to grab a juice pouch, from the fridge before taking a seat at the table. Grant follows her, clearly concerned,

"Skye. What are you doing here so late? The nuns will be worried about you." Skye doesn't care. She has to tell him, the nuns be damned. She smiles a bit, thinking about the conniption the nun would have when they discovered she was gone.

"They're taking me away." Skye can see the panic in Grant's eyes

"Who's taking you away? To where?" she reaches out her hand, and turns to look at him, showing him the smile on her face.

"The Hansons. They're adopting me." Grant's panic quickly turns into concern and confusion, Skye rushes to explain, "Harry and Jenny Hanson, they're this really lovely couple from the next town over. They've been visiting me for a few weeks now. I meant to tell you, but your mom kept saying you were out. They came today and signed the adoption papers. I leave tomorrow." Skye can't get a read on Grant. He seems to cycle through shock, and confusion before settling on sadness.

"Why are you leaving so soon? You still have to finish the year! You can't just leave halfway through!" Grant doesn't seem to be handling the news too well. Skye shrugs and returns her gaze to her juice pouch. She didn't think it would hurt so much, leaving, but it was a necessary evil.

"They were really eager. Apparently they had trouble before and just wanted to expedite the process." She shifts her gaze back to Grant, hoping he understands the true meaning behind her words, "I wanted to see you before I left. After lights out, I snuck out and waited here till you got home. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye." The sadness in his expression nearly breaks her heart.

They stand and Grant envelops her in a big bear hug. She thinks back to when she could wrap her arms around him twice because he was so skinny. Now with sports and puberty, her hands don't even touch behind his back. This fact coupled with the idea that they would no longer have such intimate moments makes Skye's eyes tear up. She tries to keep from getting Grant's shirt wet, but when they break apart a minute later, there's a wet spot.

"I told your family goodbye earlier. Thomas almost started crying." She laughs, trying to lighten the mood and Grant smiles,

"I told you. You're loved." Skye smiles and nods, _she really was_

"Thank you."

He walks her to the gate, like a true gentleman. She hesitates before placing a kiss on his cheek as they say their final goodbyes. She sneaks a peek at him one last time before slipping through the gate. She allows the tears to flow freely as she makes her way back to the house, leaving her best friend behind for the last time.

The Hanson's pick her up the next morning. She gives a cordial goodbye to all the nuns, and sticks her tongue out at Liam as she passes him on the way downstairs. She feels elated at finally leaving the orphanage for good, but the events of the last night still weigh heavily in her mind. As they drive away she turns to look back one more time. A tear rolls down her face, and she is unsure whether it's a tear of joy or sadness.


	5. Age 14

Skye is 14 when she ends up in the hospital.

Skye glances at the her phone as she nears the back door of the house.

 _1:20 am_

She curses under her breath and slips her key into the lock. She enters the house slowly and tiptoes toward the stairs. She hears her adoptive mother before she sees her. Skye hisses when the living room light clicks on. After her vision clears, Skye's met with the disapproving glare of Jenny Hanson from the easy chair in the corner of the room.

"Skye Daisy Hanson, just _what_ do you think you're doing out so late! Your father and I were worried sick!"

Skye feels a flash at annoyance with her adoptive mother's tone, but she pushes it down,

"I lost track of time. It won't happen again." She glances around the room, "Where's Harry? If you're both so concerned, he should be down here too." Jenny leans forward in her chair, her lips pursed and her eyes set,

"Your father works very hard to provide for the three of us, and as a result he had to go to bed so he can wake up early tomorrow." Skye huffs and crosses her arms. Jenny raises an eyebrow, "Something you want to say?" Skye shrugs and drops her arms, feigning innocence,

"Well you know, for a guy who works _so_ hard, he sure comes home smelling more like a bar than an office." Something changes in Jenny's glare. It is obvious Skye's implications are not lost on her,

"What your father does outside this house is none of your business, and it is definitely not relevant to the situation right now." Jenny stands, using her 2 inches as an advantage over Skye, "You were told the rules when you first arrived here: no boys upstairs, no television on school nights, and curfew is at 10:00." Skye stares at the woman in front of her, too stubborn to back down,

"Wow, it seems like the only difference between this house and the orphanage is that here I have my own bed. At least at the orphanage I had at least some semblance of a free will." The fire was building in her chest now. Skye considered, maybe taking that last shot of whiskey before leaving Miles' was not the smartest idea. Jenny crosses her arms, unwilling to lose this fight against the teenage girl before her,

"As long as you live under this roof, you will follow our rules, and listen to your father and I." Skye's response is so sudden, she doesn't even think before she opens her mouth,

"You're not my mother. He's not my father. And I sure as hell am not your daughter."

Jenny blinks in surprise. Guilt washes over Skye almost immediately. She tries not to look at the utter shock on Jenny's face. The guilt is soon replaced by panic. Unsure of what to do, Skye turns and grabs her coat. She doesn't even think to look back before opening the door and stepping outside.

She starts to run. What starts off as a jog turns into a sprint and soon she's in an unfamiliar neighborhood, stopping to catch her breath. She can feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She has no doubt that it's Jenny, trying to find out where she ran off to, but Skye is still too shaken to even consider talking to her.

She starts off again, slower, this time walking. She allows the cold air to envelop her, cool her off after her mad dash. The cool air clears her head, and she starts to think rationally again. Where can she go? Her first thought is the orphanage, Grant, but she pushes it away. They're both in the next town over, too far for her to go tonight. She then considers Coulson and Melinda. They did tell her to call whenever, day or night. But Skye once again pushes the thought away, she knows Coulson would come for her immediately, and she doesn't want him to worry about her. Out of options she continues walking.

She stumbles upon a little park and takes a seat on one of the swings, using her legs to swing back and forth gently. Her phone starts to vibrate again, sighing, she pulls it out. Just as she expected. Several missed calls from Jenny and Harry, accompanied by increasingly frantic texts. A twig snaps behind her, and Skye turns toward the noise. In the darkness she sees a figure creeping ever so slowly toward her. The pounding in her chest starts again.

 _It's 2 in the morning, who could be out here?_ Skye slips her phone in her pocket and slides out of the swing, backing away from the figure slowly. She turns to run again but instead runs straight into the arms of someone else. Instinct takes over and she begins thrashing, trying to push away from the strong arms that hold her captive. The owner of the arms starts laughing, and Skye can hear a voice behind her,

"Wow, she's a feisty one isn't she."

"The best one's always are." Skye stills immediately. She knows that voice. After years of his bullying, and taunting, she would never forget it. Liam. His arms squeeze tighter as he drags her to a nearby bench. His friend joins them and grabs her bicep, throwing her roughly onto the wood. Skye grunts at the impact, and looks up at her assailants. Liam's eye's glitter in recognition and his grin widens into a sneer. "Look here Malik, we've got little orphan Annie here, or is it little orphan Mary?" His friend, Malik, leans closer, and Skye tries to move away but the bench back stops her from going too far. Malik reaches out and cups her face, bringing it closer as though to study it.

"This wouldn't be Mary Sue, from that nasty orphanage you ran from?" Liam nods. Skye can see the way his eyes roam over her body, and it makes her shiver. Malik grins at her reaction, "Now what would bring a girl like you out here so late? Liam always did say you were quite a trouble maker." He chuckles and pushes her back into the bench. Malik turns to talk to Liam, and Skye spots an opening. Taking a deep breath she tenses to run, but Liam senses her shift in attitude. Before she knows it, he's got his hand around her throat, and he's lifting her up into the air.

"Mary Sue, always spelling trouble aren't you. Can't stay like a good little girl. Always gotta make things difficult." His hand was cutting her air supply. Skye brings her hands up to try to make Liam let go, but he has an iron grip. Skye can see in his eyes just how much he's enjoying watching her cough and splutter. Desperate she turns to other tactics. She's high enough now that it could work. In one swift movement she brings her leg back and kicks. She hits home.

Liam immediately drops her and doubles over. Skye has a second to react, scrambling up and running. She can hear Liam screaming profanities behind her and demanding Malik grab her. She prays to the god she never believed in that Malik is slower than her as she races down the street. She can hear the footfalls behind her but she's too scared to look back. She swerves left into an alleyway and immediately spots the fence blocking her escape. She goes to return to the street but Malik is right on her heels. She's trapped. She could either fight or surrender.

Malik comes around the corner and smiles. Skye raises her hands and tries to bargain with the boy,

"Please, you don't want to do this. You can still let me go! You don't have to listen to Liam." Malik ignores her protests. He grabs her upper arm again and begins dragging her. "Someone help! Please help! They're going to kill me! Somebody! Please!" She earns a quick slap in the face for her screams, and they arrive back at the park. Malik throws her on the ground at Liam's feet. She can feel his anger radiating off him, and hear his shallow breaths. She tries one more time, "Liam, please don't do this. I just want to go home. Please..Please..Please.." She's practically sobbing. Liam gives a little chuckle,

"You would like that wouldn't you. Home. We'll thats too _bad_!" His sentence is punctuated by a swift kick to Skye's ribs. Skye struggles to catch her breath, but Liam isn't done. "After all these years, all the homes that chose _you_ over _me_!" Two more kicks. "And you were too stubborn to be _good_!" Kick. "Now you get to feel the pain I've been feeling for years!" Skye was beginning to taste blood. "You. Deserve. This." Three more kicks. Skye's vision begins to blur. She has no doubt that the metallic taste in her mouth is from blood. She sees Malik standing off to the side, his face passive. She extends her hand one last time, hoping that he has some mercy, but he just turns away. Liam kneels beside to her, grabbing her hair roughly to turn her focus to him. "You see how it feels Mary Sue? Beaten. Broken. Unloved. I hope you enjoy it, however short the rest of your life may be."

He stands and nods toward Malik, who pulls something from his side. There's a glint of polished metal, and then suddenly she's staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Please, Liam..." her voice trails off, her strength all but gone. Malik places a hand on Liam's shoulder, and speaks, glancing at the girl on the floor,

"You want her to suffer? Shooting her in the head is too kind, too quick. Gut shot. I've seen these things on the tv. She'll bleed out. Long and tortuous, just like you want." Liam narrows his eyes, and nods. He shifts his aim, barrel no longer pointed at her head but rather her stomach.

"Good bye, Mary."

She hears the gunshot, and feels the bullet rip her through her abdomen, and then finally everything goes dark.

* * *

The first thing she notices is the beeping of the machines. The second is the dryness of her throat. Third, and most important is the soreness all over her body. She opens her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the brightness of the room before studying her surroundings. With all the equipment around her and the wholly uncomfortable bed, she figures it's safe to assume she's in the hospital. She spots Jenny curled up on one of the arm chairs in the far corner. She appears to be sleeping uncomfortably. Skye tries to sit up but a sharp pain in her gut prevents her from getting far. Instead she tries to call to Jenny.

"Je-Jenny?" The woman shifts in the seat, but remains asleep. "Jenny?" Nothing. Skye tries one last time a little louder, "M-mom?" The woman finally opens her eyes. It takes a moment for her to register that the girl had called to her, but as soon as she does she rushes over to the bed.

"Oh Skye honey, we were so worried about you! The doctors said the surgery went fine, and then you weren't waking up, and we weren't sure-" A sob breaks through the woman's train of thought. Tears fill Jenny's eyes, "We thought we were going to lose you!" Skye reaches up and touches the woman's hand on her face. She's surprised to find her own cheeks wet with tears,

"Jenny, Jenny, MOM, I'm fine. I'm alive. It's ok." They remain that way for a moment, Jenny crying and Skye assuring her it's all right. They don't hear when Harry walks in. Suddenly he's next to Jenny, looking to make sure Skye is alive and awake. Soon they're all crying. The nurses give them a private moment before informing them that they had to run Skye's checkup.

Aside from the very obvious gunshot to the abdomen, Skye also had a cracked rib, and few bruised bones and a sprained wrist. The hospital wanted to keep her under observation for a few more days, for any effects from the surgery.

After Skye gives the police the description of Liam and Malik, she's left alone in the room with her adoptive parents. She decides to speak whats been on her mind the past couple days,

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I had just come home when you asked, and not made such big deal out of it, none of this would have happened." Jenny opens her mouth to speak but Skye continues on, "I know you've adopted me, and we're all in it for the long haul, but I totally understand if you don't want to be my parents anymore." The silence in the room is heavy, and Skye avoids looking up to meet the Hanson's eyes. She's startled when Harry places a hand on hers.

"Skye look at me." She slowly raises her gaze and meets his eyes. Instead of the anger and disgust she's expecting, all she sees in concern, and something else, unfamiliar. "Now we may not be your biological parents, but we are your parents just the same, and that makes us family. Family means nobody gets left behind. Right?" Skye nods, "Before the police called, Jenny and I were worried sick, wondering where our child, you, were. Because we love you, and nothing is going to change that. You got it?"

Skye nods before speaking again,

"I love you guys too. I'm sorry to put you through this." Harry squeezed her hand in reassurance, and for the first time ever, Skye really meant the words she said. She really did love them.

* * *

Oh my god I am SO sorry for the long delay, my life has been crazier than usual, and my inspiration kinda got away from me. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year. I hope to update again soon?

As always, reviews are wonderful and I love you for it.

-Alex


	6. Age 15

First and foremost, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. Life has been a little bit more than crazy, and as a result, much of this has had to be on the back burner. For the few of you who have stuck with me so far, I hope you continue, I've got a lot in store for this story. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Skye is 15 when she see's Grant again.

She really does not want to go to the party. She had told Miles that her parents wouldn't let her go to a party, so instead he tells them they are going to watch a movie. She remains silent the entire ride there while Miles talks,

"Skye, I promise it's going to be fun! Quinn told me that he invited the football team from Shield High and the quarterback, I think his name is Grant Ward, is coming, and Quinn's got kegs of Centipede beer all stocked and ready! Not to mention I heard theres a killer DJ..." He trails off, eyeing Skye, trying to gauge her reaction to the party. When she doesn't respond, Miles sighs and turns on the radio instead.

In her head Skye is in full panic mode. It has been at least 2 years since she saw Grant and she had nothing to show for their long separation. Grant had grown, turned handsome, had his amazing girlfriend and was Captain of the Football team. What does she have? Just her parents and a crummy boyfriend. She maps out the Quinn's house plan in her head and tries to plan a Grant-less route to stick to for the night, but after a few moments gives up. She doesn't know Grant well enough anymore to know how to avoid him. She would just have to cross her fingers that he either doesn't show up or doesn't recognize her. In her heart she hopes its the former. Despite how long it has been, she knows that if he didn't recognize her, she would be crushed.

They pull up to the house in no time, and as soon as they walk in, they're met with the smell of sweat and beer, and the loud thumping of the bass from the DJ. Miles grabs her hand and leads her through the crowd, searching for Quinn. They find him in the kitchen proudly observing as some guests break open another keg of Centipede's Finest Ale. Miles lets go of Skye so he can hug Ian, who then gives an exaggerated bow to Skye. She nods her head and then continues to look everywhere else except her boyfriend and his friend. She always had an off feeling about Ian, and she was not about to trust Miles over her own gut. The boys talk animatedly for a few minutes when Skye decides she wants to go...anywhere else really. Miles gives her a distracted nod and shoves a red cup in her hand. She grimaces when the alcohol sloshes over the side and onto her hand.

Away from Miles and Quinn, Skye decides to wash her hands before they turn sticky, so she dumps the cup and the contents into a nearby house plant and goes searching for somewhere to wash off. All the bathrooms downstairs are locked or occupied, so she treks to the upstairs bathroom and opens the door without thinking and stops short. Of all the things she hoped not to happen at the party, walking in on Grant's girlfriend propped on the sink furiously making out with someone who was very obviously NOT Grant, was not even in the realm of believability, but yet here she is, witnessing the unbelievable. Too stunned to do much else, Skye coughs loudly, and draws the attention of the two by the sink. They immediately stop and Raina slides down from her position atop the sink, her face flushed and her skirt wrinkled. The guy, Bakshi she remembers, steps back, his cheeks going pink, as he runs a hand through his hair. Raina flashes Skye a smile,

"Hi! Skye is it? What can I do you for?" her tone is light, but Skye can sense the underlying threat in the words,

"Um...yea. I needed to wash my hands...and all the bathrooms downstairs were occupied, so I came up here." Raina tilts her head, seemingly unsatisfied with Skye's answer.

"Oh well, Sunil and I were just finishing up here, he was helping me get something out of my teeth, but I think its all gone now. Right?" She flashes another smile and Skye gets the message loud and clear, say anything and you're dead,

"Yea! I think you're good!" My lips are sealed. Satisfied with Skye's response, Raina nodded and gestured to Bakshi to follow her out,

"I'm sorry to have taken up your time. We'll be out of your hair now." She walked out of the room with a flourish and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Skye to wash her hands, and think about what she had just witnessed.

Leaving the bathroom, Skye takes more care. She sees that one of the previously open bedroom doors is now shut tight, and she makes a big arc to avoid passing directly in front of it. The faint thump of the music rises in volume as she descends the stairs. She scans through the crowd of dancing teenagers for any sign of Miles, and her heart jumps when she catches a flash of a tall, built boy out of the corner of her eye, Grant? She whirls around, but the image is gone. Sighing, she pushes her way back towards the kitchen, where Quinn is manning the bar. He nods in the direction of the living room when she approaches him, and she hurries off.

She finds Miles sitting on one of the couches, a beer in one hand and a joint in the other. He's smiling sweetly as one of the girls across the room give him a shy glance and wave. He gives her a wink before spotting Skye in the doorway. Unperturbed, he gestures her over and pats the empty space on the couch next to him. Skye huffs in annoyance but goes to join him, taking extra care to leave a few extra inches between them. She's seen Miles drunk before, and she is not willing see it again any time soon.

Someone walks up to Miles and starts talking about a hack job, at which point Skye tunes the conversation out and just takes in the people around her. There are a few people, who like Skye, don't seem to want be there. A few more have taken a break from the dance floor to refill on alcohol, and even more have seemed to find the living room a more comfortable space to...get to know their partners better. The door opens once more and Skye's worst fears are realized when Grant Ward walks through. He seems to be searching for something. Skye quickly turns back around, pretending to be engrossed in the technical talk between Miles and his customer.

"Skye?" SHIT He's seen her. Now theres no going back. She turns to look at Grant. God he looks so handsome. It's really not fair. She smiles wide and launches herself off the couch. Miles stops talking for a moment when he sees Skye get up. Skye ignores him and rushed toward her best friend. Ex- best friend? She's not entirely sure. All she knows is that she's missed him and now she has to get on her tiptoes to hug him properly.

"Grant! Oh my god what are you doing here?" She feels his surprise transform into happiness as he hugs her back,

"I could ask you the same thing! I thought you lived a town over, with the Hansons?" Skye steps back and thinks back to when she ran away, and how the Hansons accepted her regardless. She notices Grant studying her and realizes she's frowning. Shit, he's gonna think something is wrong so she plasters another smile on her face.

"Still do! But Miles told me about this party, and I just couldn't say no!" There was no way she was going to let Grant know she actually did say no.

"Miles?" Skye gestures to Miles, who has seemed to have wrapped up his conversation just in time to give Grant a half-hearted wave. Even from where she stands, Skye can see the distrust in his eyes. Seeing them together in the same room, Skye starts to pick out the very obvious differences between the boys. Grant is kind, and smart, and good. Miles is not. Regardless of her realization she lets the words slips out anyways,

"My boyfriend. We started dating a couple month's ago." Skye feels a change in the atmosphere, the playful look in Grant's eye's are gone, replaced by something...unfamiliar. Curious, she goes to ask what's wrong when Miles's voice rings out behind her.

"Skye, babe, who is that?" Skye looks back at him and flashes him an innocuous smile,

"Just a friend Miles!" Miles groans and shifts, and Skye knows what's coming next,

"Babe, can you get me another beer?" Whatever spark of annoyance toward Miles that had sprung when Grant arrived had blossomed into a fire of fury at Miles's request. Without even faltering, Skye responds even and cool and with a smile,

"Sure thing!" She turns back to Grant looks him over again, memorizing every detail. She's sure that she won't be seeing him again anytime soon, "Well I guess I'll see you around."

"Ya I guess." She turns around and heads for the kitchen. She can feel both boy's eyes on her as she pushes through the door. Grabbing a beer from Quinn, she considers for a moment smashing the heavy bottle over Miles's head in frustration, but instead pops open the top and chooses spit in it instead. Miles meets her at the door and leads her outside, mumbling something about fresh air and stupid football players.

Outside, the crowd is sparse, with guests opting to dip their toes in the pool and talk rather than engage in the fun inside. Skye recognizes one of the kids, Lincoln, sitting on one of the pool chairs. He catches her eye and gives her a little wave. She smiles and waves back. Miles stills next to her. Concerned, she turns to look at him, only to find him staring daggers at Lincoln who lays back, oblivious to him. She reaches out and touches his shoulder,

"Miles?" At her contact, Miles's gaze falls onto her, sending shivers down her spine, "Everything ok?"

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Who was that guy?" Skye raises an eyebrow,

"What guy? That guy?" She gestures to Lincoln and Miles nods, "Thats Lincoln, he's my partner in biology." Her statement only seems to infuriate Miles further,

"Really? And what sort of biology were you doing?" Understanding clicks in Skye's head and she steps back,

"What are you insinuating Miles?" Miles clenches his fists,

"What is going on with you and that Lincoln kid?" Skye crosses her arms and huffs in annoyance,

"Clearly either the weed or the alcohol is getting to you because obviously there is nothing going on between us. We're biology partners thats it."

"I'm sure thats it. Im sure you're not fucking behind my back." Miles is practically screaming now and it takes all of Skye's willpower to stop from screaming back.

"You're delusional Miles." A crowd has gathered to watch, and Skye can already see the phones out, undoubtedly taking video of the whole ordeal.

"You stupid bitch. Don't you think I saw you making eyes at the guy over there? I'm not blind!" The crowd shifts uncomfortably.

"I don't know what you thought you saw, but I definitely was not 'making eyes.'" Skye spots movement out of the corner of her eye, but she brings her attention back to the piss baby standing before her.

"I know what I saw."

"You didn't see jack shit, because nothing happened." She hears the slap before she feels it, she drops to the ground, partly out of shock and partly to get out of range for another hit. The crowd moves again, and this time someone steps out and over her, putting themselves between her and Miles. She recognizes them immediately, Grant.

"Don't you fucking touch her." Miles laughs, unfazed by the new obstacle before him,

"Who is this? Another one of your boyfriends? Are you fucking him too, whore?" Skye see's Grant tense up before the hit. It's executed perfectly, and Miles is bent in two, clutching his nose. She see's Grant tense up again and finally speaks up,

"Grant! Stop!" She sees the tension lessen in his fist, but rather than stand down, he moves closer to Miles,

"Call her a whore again. I dare you." Miles sneers and removes his hand from his blood soaked face. He glares over at where Skye is still on the floor,

"You won't get away with this slut. Big boss man won't be here to protect you all the time." Grant wastes no time in lifting the boy from his collar and dangling him over the pool.

"Grant!" Skye stands up and grabs at Grant, feebly trying to keep him from doing anything he'd regret. He's a senators son for gods sake, and what with all the camera phones trained to them, nothing good could happen. Grant ignores her pleas and vaults Miles to the center of the pool. Before Miles even surfaces, he turns to get a good look at Skye. The anger in his eyes from seconds ago dissolved into concern. Anger flares in Skye's chest, Grant Ward, her best friend from childhood, who ignored her for his older, cheating, girlfriend, and refused to call her in 2 years, just now decides it would be a good time to rescue her?

"Are you okay? You're going to need ice for your face." He reaches out to asses her wound, but her anger causes her to slap his hand away, "What?"

"What the fuck was that Grant?"

"I was helping you! He was hurting you!" The kicked puppy look almost makes Skye reconsider her sudden outburst, but the anger flares up again,

"I can take care of myself! I've been doing it for years, no thanks to you!" Grant takes a step back, and Skye resists the urge to take a step forward. Whatever Miles had given her earlier seemed to finally be kicking in, feeding her lines,

"I was protecting you!" Skye scoffs,

"Protecting me? You're not my brother, you're not my boyfriend. You're not even my friend!" Grant looks stunned, as though still uncomprehending of the whole situation,

"But I am your friend?"

"Really? Some friend. You don't talk to me for months when you get a girlfriend" Who is cheating on you, she adds in her head, "and then when I leave, you don't even call to check up on me! And now, 2 years later, you think you can just step up and be the knight in shining armor?" She waits for a response, anything that she can respond to and make him understand her frustration. She's met with silence, and goes with the next best thing, "You leave me the hell alone Grant Ward." Skye gives a final huff of anger and storms off through the crowd. She prays that nobody can see the tears slide down her cheeks as she pushes her way into a bathroom and pulls out her phone.

Jenny is there in 20 minutes with a blanket and a disapproving frown, but she doesn't press Skye for any details about the night. They drive in silence, and as soon as they pull into their driveway, Skye hops out and treks upstairs. She can hear her parents murmuring to each other down stairs, but a sudden wave of exhaustion causes any curiosity to fly out the window. She barely makes it into her pajamas before she knocks out on her bed.

BZZT! BZZT!

Skye jerks awake. Groggy and confused.

BZZT! BZZT!

She reaches out and fumbles for her phone. It starts to buzz again when she swipes to answer the call,

"Hello?"

"Skye?" Anger coursed through her veins as she recognized the voice,

"Grant?"

"Don't hang up. I need your help." She scoffs

"Really? You need my help. I thought it was the other way around." she hears Grant's defeated sigh on the other side of the line,

"I'm in lock-up right now and I need you to call my parents to come get me." Skye moves to sit up, turning to look at her clock to see the time: 1:45

"What?"

"I don't have much time. I need you to call my mom and tell her she needs to pick me up."

"Why did you call me and not your house?" She hears him sigh,

"They track the calls. Given the circumstances, and with my dad, it would look bad if I called the house. And you're the only one I trust to keep this on the down low." Skye hums in understanding,

"I get it. It would be a field day with the press if they found out the son of the Senator was in lock-up." The phone beeps twice, signaling the call was coming to an end.

"Thank you Skye. I owe you."

"That's a given."

The line goes dead and Skye is left wondering what led Grant to end up in lock-up, as she searches for the Wards in her contacts. The juggles between calling Mr. Ward and Mrs. Ward before settling on the latter. Mrs. Ward always seemed to like her better.

She's met with the same groggy response she has no doubt she gave not 5 minutes ago, but just as before, the voice on the other end perks up as Skye relays Grants message. Mrs. Ward thanks Skye and hangs up, leaving Skye alone to her thoughts. She crawls back under the sheets in a vain attempt to return back to sleep. Instead she's left staring at the ceiling thinking about the boy in lock-up and how he could of ended up there.

* * *

If you read Over the Fence you'll remember that Grant meets Raina at the foot of the stairs with her skirt ruffled and she's kinda breathless, it was always my intention to have her cheating on him, it just never seemed to get across, i figured this was the best way to make that clear. If there are any mistakes please please let me know. I appreciate all your feedback. Please comment and let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, its all useful in the end. Thank you again for being so patient with me!


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